Process for cleaning and coating air filters



C. H. GAGEN Aug. 4, 1931.

PROCESS FOR CLEANING AND COATING AIR FILTERS Filed April 21. 1927 lu/vento@ 351g @Hom/umg Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES IH. GAGEN,

` TION OF DELAWARE or NEW YORK, N. Y., AMERICAN AIR :FILTER coiitrAiW,l INC.,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORA- PROCESS .'FOR CLEANING AND COATING AIR FILTERS Application sied Aprii sei,V

This invention relates to.: processes for ltering or purifying air, and lparticularly to the cleansing of the filter. v

One object of this invention 4is to rovide a process for cleansing an air or gas lter in an improved and expeditious manner with the employment of as little manual effort as possible, and the consequent elimination of the human element.

A further object of this invention is to provide a processcomprising an improved method of cleansing the air filtering means in a simple, efficient and expeditious manner to permit said process to be performed with uniform and constant efficiency of a high degree.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a process comprising an improved ness thereof, said method including using a bath spray or current of said substance or of any other suitable liquid medium to remove foreign matter deposited on the filter and cleansing said liquid medium by sedimentation preferably in a separate tank or reservoir (especially if of the same medium as d for coating the filter) for further use in the process.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of operation, and their order and cooperation which will beexemplified in the following description, and of which the scope of application will'h'ek indicated in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments for the practice of this invention Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view ihowing an air filtering system on which the iovel process is particularly adapted to be ised. l

Referring in detail to the drawing, deiotes an air filtering machine of any type r kind Dand of which one embodiment is 1927. Serial N0. 185,644.

specifically described in m co endin a lilcion Serial No. 179,12g filld Magiicli3p28,

Said machine comprises an air filter or screen S for filtering dust and other forei n matter from air passed through the screen gy means of a duct, or the like, indicated at 1l, having a fiow of air, as at 11a. A liquid container C is disposed beneath the screen S adjoining the same in an air-tight manner (not shown), and said container may be filled with an oleaginous or other appropriate liquid substance to coat the screen with a dust removing film of said substance when t e screen is lowered into said container for which means may be provided. Any conventional means, including a chain 16 and drum 17, may be utilized to lower the screen, as described in full detail in connection with the construction of the screen, the subject matter of my copending application, as aforesaid.

Preferably the screen is collapsible to be entirely received within the container C, as shown by the dotted lines at Sl, and includes for this purpose a plurality of relatively slid` able screen sections 12, 13 and 14, that are positioned in side by side relation, as at 121, 131 and 141, when said screen is lowered into the container. Hook members, shown in said copending application, detachablly engage the screen sections together when t e screen is raised, an upper section supporting the next adjacent lower section and detaching the same when the screen is lowered. Suitable guide and sealing means provide for uniform movement of thescreen'sections and for the operation of the parts as aforementioned.

The installation is completed by providing a pump P, a settling tank T and a sediment receptacle R, all of which are properly interconnected with container C by means of pipes 14 and 15, as will be stated more in detail in the.' following description of the novel process.

To start operation of the air filtering m a-- chine, the container C is first filled with a viscous or oleaginous liquid and the screen S is lowered thereinto in'collapsed position, to coat the saine with a dust gathering film of liquid. The screen is then raised into ele- 100 ity or by the same pump vated osition and air to be filtered is passed theret rough. A

To eliminate the danger of the oleaginous liquid catching fire through exposure in vthe container C and for clarification and sedimentation, said oil is drawn off into a closed storage andlsettling tank T. For this purpose, the pump P, which is of any appropriate conventional construction and, therefore, not shown in detail, causes the liquid to flow through pipes 15 in the direction of 'arrow a.

After the screen has gathered a predetermined quantity of dust from the air, and the eciency of air filtering has begun to drop, the screen S is lowered into and collapsed in said container C, into"`\which the oleaginous liquid has been returned, preferably b grav- P, which or this form of arrangement may be of any of the well known reversible or double acting pump type, the liquid flowing this time through pipes 14 as shown by arrows b.- The dust and other foreign matter is then efficiently removed in a novel way from the screen by the action of the liquid on the foreign matter, and the-screen is again coated with a fresh dust gathering The screen is now raised into operative position and the liquid again removed by pump P through pipes 15 into the tank T, which now operates as a settling -tank to cause the foreign matter in the liquid to settle out. This per-I mits the oil to be used repeatedly, and is therefore economical. Moreover, the oil is, in this way, removed to a relatively remote and safe tank, and fire hazard diminished. A valve 18 is provided at the base of the settling tank to vpermit the sediment to drop into the receptacle R, from which it may be removed from time to time, while the liquid is in the container C.

In this way, the machinecan always be kept operating efficiently.

It is obvious that two pumps may be used instead of the one reversible or double acting pump shown, and even two different liquid medlums may be employed in connection wit my novel process, one for cleaning the filters or screens and for removin the dirt, dust, etc., therefrom, and a secon liquid to again coat the same for new efficient operation. In this latter case, separate pumps and tanks will have to be provided for the different liquids.

So, also, various methods may be employed in the actual cleaning of the air filters or screens. They may simply be permitted to rest in the cleaning liquid and the dirt on them dissolved by its action, or they may be moved to and fro therein, one method of which is described in my copending mentioned application, or the cleaning and through the screens with appropriate force and in a diffused form, as shown at 20 in the drawing, etc. Part of the removed dirt may be eliminated right from the wash-tank h by iuid may be thrown on through an appropriate valve and pipe line at @the bottom thereof,vas at 21.

I desire to remark that the principle of my process for filtering air and particularly cleansing an air filtermay also be used in such a manner that the filter or screen element remains in place and a current or spray of the cleansing and coating iiuid is applied thereto without removing the same. The fluid is then collected in a receptacle below the filter as before and all the further operations of removing, storing, returning the liquid are gone through yin a similar manner as described hereinbefore.

It is also apparent that instead of using a filter made up of collapsible sections, one of a single unit may be used, located above the container C and which may or may not be lowered into the said container when a spray or stream of the liquid is directed upon said filter or screen.

It is thus seen that there is provided a process in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various further changes might be made in the process above set forth, it is to be understoodI that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted'as illustrative only, an not in a limiting sense.

I, however, still want to emphasize one, otherwise quite obvious change in the construction of the means employed in practicing the process the subject matter of my present invention, as against the means shown in my copending application, referred to hereinabove. The sections or units 12, 13, 14, etcqplf the collapsible lter may naturally also be ade independent of each other, and may be lowered into a suitable bath or raised therefrom'independently and not each being caught 4and raised by the next one above it as described. In both methods of construction the individual units of the screen may be counterbalanced for obvious reasons and any of the usual ways and methods, well known in the arts, and particularly used in connection with window sashes.

I claim: y

1. An apparatus for cleaning and recoating air filters, com rising a collapsible air filter, a receptacle or said'filter when in a collapsed position. means to fill said receptacle with a bath of a suitable liquid, means to collapse said filter into said bath and to again remove it from said receptacle into operative position.

settling or clarifying, and

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a separate settling tank, means to draw 'said liquid fromsaid receptacle into said tank for storing and clarifying the same therein and means to return the clarified liquidlto said rece tacle.

3. -A method o cleansing and recoating air lilters, consistin in providing an air filter made of collapsi le sections and a receptacle for said sections when in a collapsed position,

p lying astream of cleaning and c oatlngliq- 4. A method of c eaning and coating air l filters which includes intermittently immerslo ing the whole body of the air filter in a bath of liquid to clean and coat said filter and 4withdrawing the whole body of the filter mittently drawing off the .liquid into a setfrom and permit the liquid t be used again for cleaning and coating the filter. Y

5. A method of cleaning and coating air lilte-rs Whichincludes intermittently immersand interposing the same in extended constream.

6. Air filtering apparatus comprising a lilter member, means for removably retaining '30 the same in the path of a current of air, a container for a supply of cleaning liquid,

last named means being operatively connected to said settling tank.

40 Signed at New York, in the county and State of New York, this 28th day of March,

CHARLES H. GAGEN. 

